Game Thread Lady Vols vs Central Arkansas

#51
#51
Amb3096 said:
Holly will have a hell of a time coming up with a reason NOT to start Cooper. I know it's a cupcake, but Reynolds never put up numbers like this against weak competition.

Dunbar looking unexpectedly good, but I think Bashaara brings an awful lot to the team. anyone know why the suspensions?
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The LVs are going to need all their guards this season. Cooper did look good but she is only a freshman and playing against a team that put no pressure on her. So this game does not provide much reason one way or another about who should or should not start. But again, it is not so much who starts as who delivers in the clutch moments. Cooper brings an offensive spark so I am sure she will have her moments and opportunities to have a big impact.

What I am getting at is that the focus on WHO WILL BE THE STARTER? creates a dynamic of positioning players against each other (are you team Cooper or team Reynolds?; team Dunbar or team Graves?). Holly can only have five players on the court. For a team which has depth, that means a lot of really good players won't start. And Big frickin deal - given the inevitability of injuries, foul trouble, or players just having bad nights, there will be lots of opportunities for lots of players. If the LVs are going to finally make it back to the Final Four, they will need contributions from this deep bench. So be glad we have Cooper looking good in her first game to play along with the more experienced Jordan Reynolds.
 
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#52
#52
madtownvol said:
The LVs are going to need all their guards this season. Cooper did look good but she is only a freshman and playing against a team that put no pressure on her. So this game does not provide much reason one way or another about starters. But again, it is not so much who starts as who delivers in the clutch moments. I do like the offensive spark that Cooper brings so I am sure she will have her moments.

What I am getting at is that the focus on WHO WILL BE THE STARTER? creates a dynamic of positioning players against each other (are you team Cooper or team Reynolds?; team Dunbar or team Graves?). Holly can only have five players on the court. For a team which has depth, that means a lot of really good players won't start. And Big frickin deal - given the inevitability of injuries, foul trouble, or players just having bad nights, there will be lots of opportunities for lots of players. If the LVs are going to finally make it back to the Final Four, they will need contributions from this deep bench. So be glad we have Cooper looking good in her first game to play along with the more experienced Jordan Reynolds.
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Competition from your teammates for minutes is part of the game. There is no reason for Jordan not to fight for her starting job, and if any of the players have a problem with being relegated to the bench, then Holly needs to set them straight.

The best five should be starting so they can get the team off to a good start, not to spare feelings. For too long, Tennessee has let lesser teams stay close. That needs to stop, and having the right players on the court will stop that.
 
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#55
#55
Amb3096 said:
Competition from your teammates for minutes is part of the game. There is no reason for Jordan not to fight for her starting job, and if any of the players have a problem with being relegated to the bench, then Holly needs to set them straight.

The best five should be starting so they can get the team off to a good start, not to spare feelings. For too long, Tennessee has let lesser teams stay close. That needs to stop, and having the right players on the court will stop that.
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What? Who said anything about "sparing feelings?" Holly will figure who the starters are (not you; not me; not any fan board poster); players will work hard to get playing time; That is a given. My point was that fans can get too hung up on who starts. And having the right players on the court does not always mean the starting five; game situations change, fouls, injuries etc. There may be games where the LVs are doing better playing small ball, so even a linchpin player like Russell, could sit in those situations. A championship team needs depth; and it needs players who stand ready to contribute whenever and in whatever capacity they are called upon.
 
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#56
#56
Ladyvol777 said:
Enjoy watching the game got a little sloppy in the 4th.
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They need to keep running the offense through Mercedes. Though we have shooters, the quick-shooting never pays off.

Mercedes makes her bunnies; she doesn't tire (so far); Dunbar/Graves/Jaime(?) is there to clean up anyway; we have Multiple Shooters to kick the ball out to!!!!! A disciplined offense will pay out big this season.
 
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#57
#57
We play a team that is completely overmatched and only play 6? Crazy. Warlick with her annual suspensions for not going to class or somesuch, I assume--or are Moore, Graves and Reynolds dinged up?
 
#58
#58
Though we were playing Cupcake University, this team seem to have much more chemistry than the last 2 to 3 years. They seem to have fun playing together. Russell still need a little work in the paint, she can not bring the ball down when she gets a rebound. She also allowed, not many, a few short people to out rebound her. I do like what I see.

I was concerned about the girls tiring out in the last quarter. Yes I realize they only played with 6 players because of suspensions and injuries. This may really be an issue next year if we go nil for recruits for 2016. Right now we have 12 players with two graduating in May. That will leave us with ten ball players for 2016-2017. If the injury bug hits us, we could be at a big disadvantage. This is one of the reasons a major program cannot afford whiffs in any recruiting season. I believe we will need to search the JC route for at least two creditable players that can contribute immediately.
 
#59
#59
Well this is what I gathered about the injuries and suspensions. Nia Moore is out with a rib injury, meme jackson got hit in the face during the CN game and was held out today as a precaution, jasmine jones took a shot to the head in practice and also set out as a precaution, graves and Reynolds both violated team rules, as to what they were, no clue. Nared has the broken hand. I think I covered everyone. According to holly all but nared should be ready to go for penn state. So nothing to serious other than nared's broken hand
 
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#61
#61
To win against a cupcake team but with a 6 player rotation not bad not bad at all... Dunbar is going to be special I hope she doesn't fade once we start playing tougher teams also I was happy to see Diamond she was very relaxed not the intense Diamond we saw at UNC but she seems like she was out there just getting her groove getting a feel of the game she looked nice but I know she's going to bring it once the season progresses.. But I will say this I love the chemistry between her and Cooper those two are going to be some play makers
 
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#62
#62
j'adorevol89 said:
To win against a cupcake team but with a 6 player rotation not bad not bad at all... Dunbar is going to be special I hope she doesn't fade once we start playing tougher teams also I was happy to see Diamond she was very relaxed not the intense Diamond we saw at UNC but she seems like she was out there just getting her groove getting a feel of the game she looked nice but I know she's going to bring it once the season progresses.. But I will say this I love the chemistry between her and Cooper those two are going to be some play makers
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And she had 7 assists
 
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#63
#63
Jaime will be back soon. Perhaps, in a week or two. LV's had fun tonight and so did the crowd. They announced attendance at just under 10,000. I only saw about a half dozen bad calls in the game. Some for them and some for us. Pat was at the game tonight. They played with a lot of energy tonight and I think some got a bit tired towards the end. To me, shooting free throws a little short towards the end might indicate the "tired factor". Nice to have the perimeter shooting back in the game for the LV's. Ball movement on offense was exceptional. Defense was good except for guarding the 3's but that could be just from the lead we had. I don't excuse it for that reason, you have to guard the perimeter when you have opponents shoot the 3 ball regardless of the score or situation.
 
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#65
#65
You can't judge much from a game like this. Not long ago UTSports was doing backflips about the volleyball team's win streak against weak non-conference foes. As soon as they SEC season started, the wins got few and far between. That won't happen with the basketball team---not against the SEC, in any case--but things are a lot different when you are playing good competition.
 
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#66
#66
armchair said:
You can't judge much from a game like this. Not long ago UTSports was doing backflips about the volleyball team's win streak against weak non-conference foes. As soon as they SEC season started, the wins got few and far between. That won't happen with the basketball team---not against the SEC, in any case--but things are a lot different when you are playing good competition.
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I agree but there were a lot of positives in this game though it was versus cupcakes. Penn State and Syracuse will be an upgrade, not top 10, but an upgrade. These two games will provide some measurements to go by.
 
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#67
#67
teacherdean said:
I agree but there were a lot of positives in this game though it was versus cupcakes. Penn State and Syracuse will be an upgrade, not top 10, but an upgrade. These two games will provide some measurements to go by.
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I think Dunbar's ability to play post defense will get tested against those two teams, and we'll know if this game was something we can look forward to for the rest of the season.

Holly's got some good options between her and Bashaara. Having Kortney in the game frees up Mercedes, but Bashaara is such a great rebounder and tough as nails. It's a nice option to have...and that's not even considering where Jasmine Jones will end up.

Nia Moore needs to get back fast. Russell can't be logging 35+ minutes against cupcakes. She'll wear out in no time.

Middleton also looked excellent today. She's another one that will hopefully not fade away as the season progresses. I love her game...such great court vision and IQ. She has the potential to be such a good player for this team.
 
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#68
#68
Twenty-six assists on 39 baskets is a great start no matter the competition.

Welcome to the family, Diamond. You still are smooth as silk. Your vision and floor savvy are admirable. Some of those passes were sweet.

Te'a, what a Thompson-Boling debut. Please continue to push the ball, penetrate and knock down treys. Impressive.

Mercedes, very impressed with your stamina. Don't be tentative, ever. For your first game in more than a year, congrats. Become the force in the paint we know you can be.

Kourtney, stretch the heck out of the 4 this year. You will be a nightmare to scheme and guard with your range. Great game.

Ms. Carter, great defense. Nice intensity and hustle. But please take a 100 shots after each practice, and don't leave the floor until you hit five in a row. shooting accurately takes relentless practice.

Alexa, your stop-drop-and-pop game has improved, and it's evident the weight room has served you well during the off-season. You're faster and quicker, too. Expecting a solid sophomore campaign from you.

Holly, the "thin" (so over the injuries and suspensions) troops did a solid job versus a lesser opponent. Start Te'a, please. She's special. Give her the minutes to build chemistry. She and Diamond could be the most explosive and entertaining tandem in the country soon. Being long-time pals is going to complement this team well.

Bring on PSU. Fun start to what could be a breakout season. Here's praying and hoping the Lady Vols are back, ready for greatness!
 
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#69
#69
That was fun game......The competition wasn't great, but we got a view of how different this team is going to be. We can move the ball.
 
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#70
#70
teacherdean said:
I agree but there were a lot of positives in this game though it was versus cupcakes. Penn State and Syracuse will be an upgrade, not top 10, but an upgrade. These two games will provide some measurements to go by.
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PSU and Syracuse will be better measures. A team like Central Ark. is just not capable of exposing weaknesses on the defensive side or making the team feel pressed on the offensive side.

But we can see still bright spots; an improved KD; a much fitter and more mobile Mercedes Russell; and the skill and swagger of DD. I think this team has a much higher ceiling than last years.
 
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#71
#71
the post game interviews were well worth watching. The comment Diamond made concerning Courtney as well as her game speaks volumes. there is a difference in the confidence of her remarks - spoken not from a place of ego - but of a statement of fact.

For those who doubt the coming out low- no energy won't make it this year with the depth and quality on this team.
 
#73
#73
I don't know if you could use PSU as a measuring stick either. They lost a starter in (G)Sierra Moore to a torn ACL and just lost their back up (PG)Amari Carter to a torn ACL. So their bench might be a little short coming in.
 
#74
#74
Massey has us as a 24 point favorite over Penn State. They had us at 41.5 over Central Arkansas.
Carter had six steals and Cooper had four. 17 total as a team. Steals are as good as a rebound gets you an extra possession.
Cooper is the type of player that can get you to the line by the five minute mark of each quarter and we have to take advantage of that and get to the line and make the free throws everything is two now no more one and one. Our one weak spot was missed free throws need to do better than 62 percent missed nine of 24.
How will Holly keep Cooper off the floor for less than 30 minutes per game. The girl is the most dynamic point guard we have had in years. She draws the defense we can get wide open threes whenever we want.
This may be the first year we may have more great players than minutes available.
Holly's toughest job will be to get a good flow to the game and keep everybody happy with playing time.
 
#75
#75
Extremely happy to see Diamond getting some needed playing time. She is very special and will make people playing with her much better. This is beginning to look like a very good basketball team!
 
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